“Shit!” Brianna cursed as she jumped out of the car, bringing the jacket with her. She slipped her arms into the sleeves as she ran across the parking lot. “Carina Maria Moretti! No!”
“I will cut you,” Carina warned, grasping at the box like a lifeline. “I swear to God, Bri. I don’t like to kick a girl when she’s down, but—”
Considering she had seven inches on her, Brianna decided she was willing to risk it and swiped for the box of cigarettes. She got it too, and was diving for the garbage can when Carina jumped on her back. For the second time in less than twelve hours, someone was trying to choke her. Brianna fell back against the wall to the convenience store, keeping Carina trapped there and relieving some of the pressure on her neck.
Carina just hung on to her, breathing heavily, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. “I need one.”
Brianna stared ahead in annoyance. “I’m the one who should be falling apart. I probably have a price on my head and—”
“I have guilt. I feel like this is my fault.” Carina let out a low moan of agony. “I have too much already and—”
“You are a drama queen,” Brianna reminded her, though she supposed Carina had a point. She looked down, nearly choking herself in the process because she was supporting all of Carina’s weight. She pulled out one cigarette and held it up as a peace offering. “I’m throwing away the pack.”
“Fine.” Carina snatched it and slid to her feet behind Brianna.
Carina’s hands shook as she lit the cigarette, but when she tilted her head back and blew out the smoke, she looked so wholly pleased Brianna almost felt guilty throwing away the pack.
Almost.
They stood there in silence as Carina had a moment with her cigarette, and Brianna watched her. She had a unique, distinctive way of smoking that always intrigued Brianna, like something out of a black-and-white movie, making Carina look like a starlet preserved in time, but that wasn’t what was intriguing to Brianna.
“You smoke just like Nova,” she observed not for the first time, even knowing Carina hated to be compared to her other brother almost as much as Nova did. That alone wasn’t weird, but the fact that Nova could look like such a badass doing it, and Carina could look like a starlet, yet watching them side by side was like staring at mirror images. “It’s so strange.”
“Please.” Carina turned her head and blew out the smoke. “I’m already nauseated over my family.”
“Do you think he knows about this whole thing?” Brianna asked suspiciously. “Do you think he’s in on it?”
“No.” Carina said it almost instantly. “Nova wouldn’t do anything to hurt Tino.”
Brianna snorted in disbelief over that.
“He wouldn’t have you killed,” Carina corrected with a wince. “He does love Tino.”
“I know,” Brianna whispered, because she did, very much so. “Why are we in Pennsylvania?”
Carina looked down and flicked ashes onto the cement. “Tino told me the promise you made him before the wedding.”
Brianna felt her cheeks heat, both in fury and embarrassment. “He told you about that night?”
“Don’t get sensitive.” Carina rolled her eyes. “He told me ’cause he knows you can be stubborn and—”
Brianna huffed indignantly.
“Was that the first time David hurt you?” Carina countered, arching one dark eyebrow at Brianna.
Now Brianna felt her cheeks heat for an entirely different reason, and she glanced away.
“I’m taking you to Kentucky.”
“What the fuck am I supposed to do in Kentucky?” Brianna snapped at her. “And don’t you think the Borgata’s gonna know that’s where we went? Your nonno knows. Nova knows. They all know because that’s what I always do. Run back to Tino. They even sent David to marry me, because they know, no matter what, I can’t stop myself. They know that.”
Carina shrugged. “Probably, but—”
“I am not ruining Tino’s life there,” Brianna cut her off. “He’s out. He’s happy. You’re always telling me how happy he is.”
“Happy is relative.” Carina took another puff of her cigarette and blew out the smoke again before she admitted, “He asks about you. All the time. ‘Is she happy, Carina? Is he buying her pretty things? Does he take her out? Does she take time to dance offstage? Just for fun?’”
Brianna stood there as Carina became a watery blur, and choked out, “What do you tell him?”
Carina shrugged, her eyes glassy too. “I tell him you’re happy.”
The tears rolled down Brianna’s face without warning, and she wiped at them as she asked, “Why’d you lie?”
“’Cause the truth would just hurt him.” Carina wiped at her cheeks like Brianna had. “It would hurt you too.”
“But you said he’s happy with Romeo. That he loves his nephews and—”
“It’s not his life, Brianna,” Carina whispered. “It’s Romeo’s life. Tino’s just, you know, doing what Tino does. Lying to his brothers. To me. To everyone. He makes us all believe it’s enough. Like I said, enforcers are great liars. The best in the Borgata.”